{"id":1690,"date":"2011-12-20T09:07:53","date_gmt":"2011-12-20T14:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/godonomics\/?p=1690"},"modified":"2011-12-20T09:11:21","modified_gmt":"2011-12-20T14:11:21","slug":"jesus-the-best-gift-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2011\/12\/jesus-the-best-gift-ever.html","title":{"rendered":"Jesus….the Best Gift ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>If anything the last year has shown us is that nothing is certain. \u00a0The only certain thing is that\u2026 there is nothing certain. Few things can be counted on concretely. \u00a0Few things live up to their claims. \u00a0Remember that scene from A CHRISTMAS STORY where Ralphy gets the secret decoder ring. \u00a0He had heard all the claims of what it would do. He had hoped it would open him up to new worlds of information, secrets, and purpose\u2026 And he found it only opened him up to a commercial for Ovalteen. \u00a0He was disgusted.
\nDeep within the human soul is a longing for something certain. Something confident. Something that can live up to Its claims.<\/p>\n

JESUS OFFERS THE CONFIDENT CLAIM THAT HE IS THE SUPERMAN AND THE MAGIC ROCK<\/p>\n

We left off last week in our study of Matthew chapter 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve been looking for Superman<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

1<\/strong> Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2<\/strong>saying, \u201cWhere is He who has been born King<\/span> of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.\u201d 3<\/strong> When Herod the king<\/span> heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.<\/em><\/p>\n

The king theme for Matthew is King of the Jews. He wants his Jewish audience to know that Jesus is the hero they\u2019ve waited for. He is the king they\u2019ve prayed for. \u00a0 He is the predicted Savior and king. \u00a0\u00a0He notes that wise men from the East, probably from Babylon and instructed by Daniel\u2019s ancestors when he was a major political figure in Babylon. They note that they are looking for the king. They are searching for superman. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When they tell the king is upset? Why? \u00a0Imagine telling the king, you are looking for the king. <\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Imagine coming up to superman and asking if he has seen the real superman.<\/em> \u00a0\u00a0Herod is out of control. \u00a0He is troubled and all Jerusalem with him.<\/p>\n

All through time there has been a hunger for a hero. A Super-man. \u00a0\u00a0Did you know the term Superman was made popular by Neitschze and his mentor who said that the \u00a0main ethic in the world was to will power over others. They taught that every truth claim is a powerplay. \u00a0Every act was actually a way to get yourself more power and more control.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two comic book writers from Ohio developed a superhero which they named after this concept by Neitschze. \u00a0They wanted to show the opposite was true. \u00a0\u00a0They wanted to show that there was an all powerful one who would use his power \u2013not to accumulate power and control for himself, but instead would use his power to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.<\/p>\n

The Bible teaches that we all are looking for a hero like that. \u00a0A Superman. \u00a0\u00a0And God promised in the early chapters of the Bible that mankind was in need of a Superman. A God man. \u00a0A man who was 100% God. And 100% Man. \u00a0\u00a0He promised that one day he would send the Super-man to earth. And this super-man would allow himself to be killed by the Kryptonite of evil, but raise himself up, overpower death, and provide a way to raise us up on the final days. \u00a0\u00a0So here we are \u201chalfway\u201d into the Bible in a book called Isaiah. \u00a0Isaiah lays out another Claim for the coming Superman. \u00a0He says,<\/p>\n

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss the Claim here. \u00a0\u00a0A Child will be Born. \u00a0\u00a0So this Superman will be born like a Child\u2026 BUT, he will also be a SON that is given.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This Son-Child. This God-Man. \u00a0This Superman will be both a human born child, and a God given Son of God. \u00a0\u00a0Now this idea might seem primitive and silly and superstitious to you. \u00a0\u00a0But look at the claim before you dismiss it. \u00a0\u00a0In order for God to come and fully sympathize with us, to empathize with us, he had to be able to \u201csubstitute for us\u201d \u00a0To take our place and deal with our human troubles. \u00a0God had to know what it was like to \u201cwalk in our shoes.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But if he was merely a man, he\u2019d have the same problems we do. He\u2019d struggle with envy, impatience, anger, criticalness, etc like we do. \u00a0He\u2019d be like the Greek gods like Zeus and others. They were \u201cgod\u201d, but they had human fallacies like lust, wrath, selfishness, self-consciousness. \u00a0\u00a0A man or god who was just as broken morally \u2013as we are- couldn\u2019t save us from something they struggled with. \u00a0So this Superman had to be BOTH, fully moral heroic, loving, powerful and God. \u00a0\u00a0While close enough to dwell with us, substitute for us, etc.<\/p>\n

CLAIM SUPPORT. \u00a0So, now we move to the front half of the Bible and Jesus shows up. An Angel appears to Mary and says, A child will be born to you. \u00a0\u00a0This promise from Isaiah is made 100\u2019s of years prior. \u00a0And the Angel says, But you are a virgin, so what was conceived didn\u2019t come fully from you. \u00a0\u00a0This child will be born, but this son has been given!!! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What are the chances you could make such a specific and outlandish prediction and half it fulfilled 100\u2019s of years earlier?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Several mathematicians have calculated the possibilities. etc<\/p>\n

Where will Superman be Born? \u00a0Not in some major city like Metropolis, no no. \u00a0Superman would be born raised in Smallville. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was not born historically in Jerusalem, but in a small little town called Bethlehem. \u00a0\u00a0A little town predicted 100\u2019s of years earlier.<\/p>\n

4<\/strong> And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5<\/strong> So they said to him, \u201cIn Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: \u00a06<\/strong> \u2018 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; <\/em><\/p>\n

How can we know that Jesus is the One we\u2019ve been waiting for? \u00a0What is His claim support? \u00a0Matthew tells us that his exact birth place was predicted. \u00a0\u00a0And it was a 1\/1000000 shot that a man would\/could be born there and meet the Biblical specifics. \u00a0\u00a0Matthew is saying, \u201cHere is the superman we\u2019ve been waiting for…\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

SUPERMAN RESCUED US SO WE CAN RESCUE OTHERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps you are thinking, \u201cSo What!!\u201d \u00a0\u00a0What does this matter? \u00a0\u00a0Well first, if Jesus really lived up to the claims. The dozens and dozens of claims, you can be confident that his is not just some nice fairy tale. Jesus, like products we sell or produce has outstanding Claim Support. \u00a0If it was just one claim, we wouldn\u2019t be confident. But he has 100\u2019s of specific researchable in history claims that we can validate and be confident. \u00a0And if we are confident. We can know that our movies, our dreams, and our fairy tales speak of something our heart wants. There is a Superman who can come in and save the day. There is someone who will fight for us.<\/p>\n

There was a movie that came out a few years ago called, “Waiting for Superman” \u00a0It told the story of Michelle Rhee. I recently saw an interview with Michelle A. Rhee. She was chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010. She moved into Washington DC, put her kids in the public school system and did one of the most controversial education overhauls in American history. Rhee inherited a troubled system; there had been six school chiefs in the previous 10 years, students historically had below-average scores on standardized tests, and according to Rhee, only 8% of eighth graders were at grade level in mathematics. Upon taking office, Rhee immediately began to make a series of radical changes that relied on top-down accountability and results from standardized tests. She said there was no time to waste because children were being robbed of their futures. \u00a0In her first year on the job, Rhee unapologetically closed 23 schools, fired 36 principals and cut approximately 121 office jobs. \u00a0\u00a0You can imagine the firestorm she unleashed. \u00a0But, as she was talking at this conference, she said that her mom was visiting on the weekend that it all hit the fan. Her name was being slammed in every newspaper, news story, etc. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Her mom pulled her aside that night and said, \u201cWhen you were a little girl, you never cared much what people said about you. We thought you\u2019d be anti social, but that trait has served you well in this position.\u201d Michelle Laughed and spoke of how her focus and determination as a child was a character trait (a unique BENT), that her parents honored and fanned into flame. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Michelle said she was driven by the reality that kids were being failed by the system and needed to be saved or rescued… Ironically, in this interview, Michelle shared that she is still wrestling with Jesus and his claim to be able to rescue us. \u00a0\u00a0She said that her pastor and fiance have been helping her wrestling with Christ’s claims. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>SHE WANTED TO RESCUE OTHERS IN LIGHT OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT GOD WOULD RESCUE HER.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a free session of Godonomics, visit:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/watch-session-1<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If anything the last year has shown us is that nothing is certain. \u00a0The only certain thing is that\u2026 there is nothing certain. 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He graduated from Moody Bible College in Chicago, majoring in pastoral ministry and communication. His love for ministry and creativity can be seen in many forms: leading teams, expository teaching, acting, and video production. He has served as pastor at two high-impact churches in Georgia: Cumberland Community Church and New Community Church. Chad received an M.A. in Ministry from Moody Graduate School in 2008. He loves volleyball, movies, and hanging out with his wife Beth and their three children.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/author\/chadhovind"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1690"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1692,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1690\/revisions\/1692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}